1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water filter, and particularly to a water filter which is used for connection with a faucet for leaching, guiding and saving water.
2. Prior Art
In general, a conventional water filter is connected to an outlet portion of a faucet for leaching, guiding and saving water. There are various structures or types of water filters. Referring to FIGS. 4–6, a conventional water filter mainly includes an outer connector 60, an inner connector, a flow control sheet 80 and a strainer 90 (Showed in FIG. 4).
A positioning post 61 is formed at the center of the outer connector 60 with one end near the bottom surface of the outer connector 60 and the other end projecting from the upper surface of the outer connector 60. A plurality of puncturing posts 62 is formed at the outer connector 60 about the positioning post 61 and is arranged in several circles with different diameters. The heights of the puncturing posts are gradually reduced along a direction away from the positioning post 61. A plurality of ribs 63 is formed at the inner surface of the sidewall of the outer connector 60 (Showed in FIG. 5).
A plurality of apertures 71 is evenly defined about the center of the inner connector 70. A plurality of cutouts 72 is defined in the outer surface of the sidewall of the inner connector 70 (Showed in FIG. 6). When the inner connector 70 is received in the outer connector 60, the cutouts 72 of the inner connector 70 engagingly receive and position the ribs 63 of the outer connector 60. The upper surfaces of the outer and inner connectors 60, 70 are coplanar (Showed in FIG. 4).
When the conventional water filter is attached to an outlet portion of a faucet (not shown) and the faucet is turned on, water will flow into the water filter, from the strainer 90, through the flow control sheet 80, into the apertures 71 of the inner connector 70, towards the puncturing posts 62 for piercing air bubbles in the water, and then out of the outer connector 60. Since the air bubbles in the water are pierced by the puncturing posts 62, the water flowing out of the outer connector 60 has no air bubbles and therefore is filtered. Thus, the water filter has a filtration function.
However, when it is desired to disassemble the water filter for cleaning after a period of time of use, the water filter cannot be detached directly by tools (not shown) since the inner and outer connectors 70, 60 are engaged with the cutouts 72 receiving the ribs 63 and the upper surfaces of the inner and outer connectors 70, 60 being coplanar. Maybe a sharp member (not shown) is used to extend through the bottom surface of the outer connector 60 and is applied with force to push the inner connector 70. However, the outer and inner connectors 60, 70 are not ready to detach since they are in tight engagement. Furthermore, since the inner and outer connectors 70, 60 are made of plastic, once the force is over applied, the outer and inner connectors 60, 70 are easy to be damaged, even adversely affect the function of the water filter. Thus, the conventional water filter is inconvenient for users to assemble or disassemble in a DIY manner, even not practical.
Moreover, the outer and inner connectors 60, 70 are complicated due to the configurations of the puncturing posts 62, the ribs 63 and the cutouts 72 and therefore a mold for the water filter is complicated too, which results in high manufacture cost. Thus, it is desired to improve the conventional water filter.